Pacific Hwy ranked worst road in NSW for fifth year running

THE Pacific Highway has been voted the worst road in NSW for the fifth year running, the NRMA says.

The highway topped a list of five NSW roads after the NRMA polled nearly 8000 road users.

However, the key points of frustration for the highway listed in the poll were well outside the Northern Rivers, centred on Chatswood in Sydney, and Coffs Harbour, and were focussed on frustration over congestion rather than safety issues.

On the North Coast the NRMA ranked the worst roads as:

Pacific Highway

Bucketts Way

The Lakes Way

Waterfall Way

Ocean Drive

Across the NSW and the ACT, the 10 worst roads were:

Pacific Highway

Pennant Hills Road

Parramatta Road

Princes Highway

M4 Western Motorway

Wattle Tree Road

Great Western Highway

Barton Highway

M5 Motorway

Narellan Road

However, NRMA deputy president Wendy Machin said she expected the Pacific Highway to soon lose its number 1 ranking, which it has held for five years straight.

"On the North Coast the final challenge will be to bypassing the city centre of Coffs Harbour. This will give a completely duplicated Highway to the Queensland border and allow the centre of Coffs Harbour to bloom when it is free of the through traffic and heavy vehicles," Ms Machin said.

"However, the Highway is not the only road of significance of the North Coast as shown by the survey results. Regional and local roads are used daily by tens of thousands of North Coast residents and visitors," Ms Machin said.

"It's not enough to complete the duplication and consider that work on the North Coast is done. The region is highly urbanised and is also a tourist mecca and this - as well as higher rainfall - means our local roads are subject to unusual wear.

"Good work is being done but against that councils on the north and mid-north coast have the state's biggest road maintenance backlogs," she said.

"NRMA believes part of a solution is to direct a greater proportion of the fuel excise back into roads."